Word of the Father, Now in Flesh Appearing
Download MP3Hebrews 101 through 14. For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any conscience of sin? But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sin every year, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me.
Speaker 1:And burnt offerings and sin offerings, you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, behold, I have come to do your will, oh god, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book. When he said when he said, above, you have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings. These are offered according to the law. Then he added, behold, I have come to do your will.
Speaker 1:He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that, will we have will we and by that, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who have been sanctified.
Speaker 1:This is the word of
Jeffrey Heine:the Lord. This is
Speaker 1:the word of the Lord.
Jeffrey Heine:If you would, pray with me. Our father, we thank you that we can come into this place and that we can sing of your great love. And father, we thank you for your word. We ask that in this time that you would teach us, you would challenge us, and that you would change us. And father, we are desperate to hear from you tonight.
Jeffrey Heine:So we come to this time expecting to hear from you. We ask that you would do all these things for your glory, and for the glory of Christ in his name amongst all the nations. And it's in his name that we pray. Amen. Now I've always been one to question why.
Jeffrey Heine:And it and it really struck me a a couple of years ago, when Christmas come was coming around, and it was, it was actually the first Christmas where, Jess and I were married. And and so I had my own home, and I had my own traditions to begin. And I I started to ask these questions of why. Why these different things? And I didn't have a lot of answers, and I found that kind of frustrating.
Jeffrey Heine:Here I was, was in my mid twenties, and and these customs and these rituals that I had participated in for a number of years, I really didn't have a reason for them. And maybe you find yourself in in the same boat. Maybe you were flipping through the channels and, past, you know, Christmas vacation and and these things that maybe you don't like to hear. Like, you know, December 25th isn't Jesus' birthday, and you hear these things and they you start to get a little bothered by them. And then when you start hearing things about Christmas trees and and then these ads that are starting to come out that say holiday trees instead of Christmas trees.
Jeffrey Heine:And then you have, this representative from South Carolina that introduced this, resolution that we will take a firm stance and say that Merry Christmas will be defended, and we will defend, quote, the sanctity of Christmas. Now maybe these kinds of questions are turning in your minds. And so I did some research a couple of years ago. Whenever, it was my first Christmas in this house, I wanted to know why I had cut a tree down and brought it into my home. You know, these things that are so common, but really, it's a bizarre thing.
Jeffrey Heine:These big socks that we tack above our fireplaces. I mean, these are odd traditions, odd rituals, but they have some meaning. And so I started looking into it, and, as many of you know, the the Christmas tree, that was a pagan symbol that was brought in. It was winter solstice, which is usually, like, 21st or 22nd. The pagans would bring in the evergreen.
Jeffrey Heine:And so in that time where all the other trees, look like veins and then they they don't have any leaves on them anymore, that the evergreen would remind them that spring will come. On this darkest night of the year, it would remind them that spring was coming and more sunlight would be there, and they would light the yule log, and each spark that came off, they would count as another calf that would be born in the coming spring. These were traditions started by pagans, and it was really, around 400 AD that we start to see the Christmas celebration come into Christianity, the feast of the nativity. And the date of that, they they kind of boxed out the pagans and said, we're gonna celebrate this feast when the pagans were celebrating. And so they would take that that tree, but they would put apples on it to remind them of the fall in the Garden of Eden.
Jeffrey Heine:Those apples then became ornaments that we spend a lot of money on and then occasionally or annually break, as they shatter on the fort. We have a tradition going. We we haven't broken one this year. There's still time. But we have these different rituals, and rituals are very important to a culture.
Jeffrey Heine:I I read, a couple weeks ago, one anthropologist said this. Rituals express the deepest fundamental values of a society, not simply the individual convictions of the people in that society. It is popular thinking that romantic notion that, it's a romantic notion that spontaneity is authenticity, and that formality and ritual represent shame and hypocrisy. See, we have lots of different rituals that we participate in all the time. Flowers, having flowers for a wedding or for a birthday or for Valentine's Day or at a funeral.
Jeffrey Heine:You see, something is being conveyed in that ritual. Care, love is communicated by the giving and receiving of flowers. And just like that, we we have these Christmas rituals. And and, you know, that's a that's a good thing. One, ritual that I have is I I go to Waffle House every Christmas Eve at midnight.
Jeffrey Heine:I've been doing that for about 9 years now, and this coming Thursday night, I'll I'll be there again. It's just it's just a tradition that that my friends and, we we started a long time ago, and that's that's good. And and another tradition that I have is I watch Christmas Vacation multiple, multiple times. I I went to the Alabama theater and saw it this past weekend, and I caught something that I hadn't heard before. Towards the end, Clark, after the family is gone or comes outside because Ruby Sue has seen the the the star, the Christmas star.
Jeffrey Heine:And he says, that's all that matters, which I you think is a good thing. We're we're we're heading in that good direction. Then he says, Christmas means something different to everyone, and now I know what Christmas means to me. See, it's it's okay to have these traditions and these rituals. They're they're good, and they can be a lot of fun, and they can be very meaningful.
Jeffrey Heine:And they can be very they can make us be very nostalgic, which is, 2 Greek words. It's a longing and an aching for home, and that that's okay. But our traditions may vary and they might have different meanings, but ultimately the meaning of Christmas cannot vary from person to person. See, that's a very dangerous thing. And so what I'd like for us to look at and the reason that we we have a a section of scripture tonight that isn't usually a Christmas story, and we're gonna dig into that.
Jeffrey Heine:And and it's my prayer that, that we would take this time, that we would slow down, and that we would ask some questions together. That we would ask why Jesus was born, why he was born of flesh and blood. And that perhaps, perhaps we might enter into this week of Christmas focusing on some different rituals and what those rituals convey. So to step back here, we have to look, about 1500 years before this writing of the book of Hebrews. And when we're approaching this, chapter 10, it's important for us to have an understanding of the sacrificial system, and and that is very complicated.
Jeffrey Heine:If you've ever tried to, make it through reading the the old testament, like in one of those annual kind of readings or something like that, and you you start off good with Genesis and there there's all this story and all this action that's happening and and then it starts getting very difficult. And and we're gonna talk about some of those difficult things, because I believe, I I strongly believe that if we catch a glimpse of this truth, then it really changes not only Christmas, but but all of the year. So if we look at this 1500 years ago, in in Exodus is where we see this sacrificial system really established. Now, there are sacrifices before that. Now, a lot of different sacrifices, but as far as this sacrificial system being established for the people of Israel, that comes into play with the Exodus and and the building of the tabernacle.
Jeffrey Heine:Now, if you've been coming to Redeemer for a while, we we the tabernacle comes up a lot. We we did a study of the entire book of Exodus, about a year ago, and and it seems like as we've been making our way through this study of Luke, we keep coming back to the Exodus and and to the tabernacle. And so it it is at the tabernacle where we see this, sacrificial system established. The tabernacle was very elaborate. Now it was a it was a tent that, would have been taken up and moved each time, the cloud, of god's presence would move.
Jeffrey Heine:They would take the tabernacle down and then follow and then set it back up. And by US standards today, monetary standards, it it would cost about $19,000,000 19,700,000 for the tabernacle. That that's about $30,000 per square foot. That is a it's a little bit nicer than Girls Inc, just a little bit. Not much.
Jeffrey Heine:I would imagine, but they did have empowerment, sign. Now, this is I see this. We have raptor now. It it was character, but now it has become raptor. Take that however the lord leads you.
Jeffrey Heine:I think we should always make a statement. We do not endorse every sign that is established here, but some of them. If you can dream it, you can be it. Not one of them. But some are good, I guess.
Jeffrey Heine:Okay. Anyway, moving on. It it was a very beautiful place, because very important things happen there. That's where people would bring their sacrifices to the one true and living god. And because of this marriage agreement that they had entered into, which we looked at last year, because of this covenant that they had entered into, god was teaching them some very important principles.
Jeffrey Heine:And so they entered into this ritual of sacrifice. And here they as they entered into it, it it taught them their need for atonement, and that there were direct consequences from their actions and their lives to communion with God. And the ritually required that the offer would, would take an unblemished animal, representing sinlessness, and take it to the tabernacle and later to the temple. And at the supervision of the priest, there would be a laying on of hands of the animal. This animal would be led to the tabernacle, and they would touch it.
Jeffrey Heine:And then the man or the woman, they they would sacrifice it themselves. They would they would kill the animal, and the priest would take it and divide it up in very precise and detailed ways, and then offer it on the altar to god. But why sacrifice? Why why did god do this? Why didn't god just show up on earth and just say, you're forgiven.
Jeffrey Heine:I give you forgiveness. That's because forgive forgiveness requires suffering. And many of you know that if you've ever really forgiven someone of something very serious. And I mean really forgiven someone, not the I'm gonna try not to think about it, or the let's just pretend it never happened kind of thing. But I mean, like, the serious stuff where someone has transgressed against you, someone someone has violated somehow this agreement or friendship or relationship that you have.
Jeffrey Heine:And as you, as you give that forgiveness, it it is difficult. It hurts to give that kind of forgiveness. And god knows that better than any of us. You see, god was teaching Israel the great principle of forgiveness through the substitutionary death of an innocent sacrifice. Substitutionary, the these the innocent one would die for the guilty.
Jeffrey Heine:There there are, many different kinds of sacrifices, and we're gonna look into, some some of those, quickly. But every sacrifice did something very profound. It declared the reality of the curse, the curse that we just sang about, far as the curse is found. This curse that comes with sin. Now, the sacrifice declared that, but it also declared something else.
Jeffrey Heine:They declared the hope of God's salvation. The covenant made at Sinai was the most important concept to Israel's identity, and this covenant was remembered daily as they participated in these ritual sacrifices, blessing and punishment. See, every morning, the, the priest would come together and they would sacrifice. And then there would be the sacrifices that the people would bring throughout the day, and then the the priest would sacrifice again in the evening. Day in and day out, these sacrifices.
Jeffrey Heine:There were sacrifices at Passover, at the feast of Pentecost, at the feast of trumpets, the feast, on the, of tabernacles and the day of atonement, Yom Kippur. And so there are 2 primary things that a person would do when they when they came to, give their offering. There there were the blood sacrifices, and then there were the, the peace sacrifices or the peace offerings. Now with the blood sacrifices, there was the burnt offering, which which you see at, Yom Kippur. That would be this entire ox or goat and sheep that that would be completely given over and burned for the lord.
Jeffrey Heine:Then there were sin offerings, and with the sin offering, they they would bring, a bull, or a goat, and they they would bring it to the priest, and it would be sacrificed. But some of the, the food could be eaten by the priest, but the people could not partake of it. The offeror could not. And another one was a trespass offering, and that was for very specific transgressions where restitution was possible, and they would they would pay back for that restitution and they would they would offer this sacrifice. But again, they could not eat of it.
Jeffrey Heine:The priest could have some of it, and it was divided up, very in particular ways for what was to be burned, the organs to be burned to the lord. And then there were peace offerings, the thank offerings, votive offerings, free will offerings. And with those, with those peace offerings, they could bring that and they could participate with the priest in eating it. And it was out of thankfulness, it was not because of sin that they would bring this offering, but because of the goodness and the blessing from the lord. See, the day of atonement, Yom Kippur, where, where the bull would be taken and and killed, that blood would be kept, and that blood would go with the high priest into the holy of holies, into the tabernacle, and they would take that blood.
Jeffrey Heine:That blood, would represent the sin of the people. See, there are 2 goats though, 2 goats at Yom Kippur. One goat would, would be sacrificed, and and the the blood from that goat would be taken into the holy of holies. But but another goat would be taken, and the priest would put his hands on the head of that goat, and then it would be sent into the wilderness, sent into the woods, chased into the desert. See, we have to look at both of these to really see what's happening at Yom Kippur where where there is the sacrifice of 1 representing the sin of the people, deserving death.
Jeffrey Heine:But then we also see that this scapegoat, as it was referred to, was chased away to represent that the sin was taken away from the people, far outside of the camp. The sin was taken away, but we find ourselves here at Yom Kippur being discussed here in chapter 10 of the book of Hebrews. Look at verse 1. For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come, instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. A shadow.
Jeffrey Heine:You see the throughout the Old Testament, there there are hints that this is happening, that that people are realizing that these offerings that are being given, they are, they are not enough. We cannot sacrifice enough to appease this holy god. See, the blood of just an animal is not enough. They saw that it was a shadow. But even then, the spirit used it to build up faith in god's chosen people, Israel.
Jeffrey Heine:Faith that one would come. A messiah that would truly take away the sins. Look at verse 2. Otherwise, they would not have been sacrificed and offered since the worshipers having once been cleansed would no longer have any consciousness of sin. But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sin every year.
Jeffrey Heine:Every year, they were reminded that their sins needed atonement. And every day when they would look to see what offerings and sacrifices were required of them, that they would see this insufficiency, That they would see how desperate they were. You see, by these rituals, a great salvific principle was being taught. That salvation comes to a sinner who turns for forgiveness away from their own efforts and their own doings, but approach god through the blood sacrifice of another. And this, this is where we enter in To considering Christmas and this season, perhaps in a different way.
Jeffrey Heine:That's because the shadow of the law, the shadow of the law is concerning sin and sacrifice. As they realized and confessed year after year, this is not enough. This is not enough. Look at verse 4. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin.
Jeffrey Heine:It is impossible. See, this is the problem, and and and this is where we can start to find the answer to why was Jesus born. Because if we can see the need, why it's necessary for sacrifice, and we see the shadow of the law, then we can start to see why Jesus was born of flesh. The author of Hebrews goes on, to use the words of Psalm 40, the the psalm of David. And the he says that these are the words of the messiah, the Christ.
Jeffrey Heine:These are the words of Immanuel, god with us. Verse 5. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, sacrifices and offerings, you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me. In burnt offerings and sin offerings, you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, behold, I have come to do your will, oh God.
Jeffrey Heine:As it is written of me in the scroll of the book. You see this, this is where we can see the Christmas story. A body you have prepared for me. See, there's a great preparation in this. There have been these years years of sacrifices given to teach and to show that there must be a sacrifice to atone for sin.
Jeffrey Heine:And Christ stands when he came into the world, stating sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me. That body prepared. And, and, and it's a difficult thing to think of that manger scene in light of what we're looking at right now. You know, there there are a lot of people that that are defending Christmas and the traditions of Christmas tooth and nail, but don't really want to get into these things. Give us our traditions, give us our celebrations and our customs, give us those rituals, but do not take us to the ritual of sacrifice.
Jeffrey Heine:Do not take us there. We want Christmas trees. We want Christmas carols in the schools. But do not take me to the manger, where I must see a baby prepared with a body for sacrifice. Do not take me there.
Jeffrey Heine:But that is the only answer to this question of the meaning of Christmas. That's it. That's all that we have. And this, this verse 5, this is where we find the key that unlocks this door well past many well intentioned and happy and meaningful traditions. Into the heart of Christmas, where god himself is born of flesh to dwell among us.
Jeffrey Heine:A body you have prepared for me. This is not a body where he could simply come to us to encourage us or educate us, though he did. Nor was it a body prepared just so he could rebuke us or show us our sinfulness, though He did. But this is a body prepared for sacrifice. This is where Jesus must be messiah.
Jeffrey Heine:And not just a baby in a lovely nativity scene set up in a private or public spot. Look at verse 8. When he said above, you have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings. Offerings, all these offerings that we have talked about, these are offered according to the law. Then he added, behold, I've come to do your will.
Jeffrey Heine:He does away with the first order to establish the second. And by that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all. Sanctified through the offering of the body is effective in accomplishing something. See this is this is where in John 1, which we read together responsively. Where it's not of blood nor flesh, nor of our will, but by god, by His will.
Jeffrey Heine:And by that is the doing of god's will. See, this isn't, this wasn't just persecution, this wasn't just a tragedy that Christ would be crucified. But this is the will of God. That he would take that forgiveness through that suffering. You see that remember how how we were talking about the relationship between suffering and forgiveness?
Jeffrey Heine:And he, through his will, takes that on himself. Not through the blood and sacrifice of animals, nor through the blood of sinners, But through the sacrifice of his son. So why was Jesus born of flesh? To be sacrificed. Look at verse 10 again.
Jeffrey Heine:And by the will, by that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once and for all. Once for all is an amazing phrase. You remember, Yom Kippur comes every year. And for contemporary Jews, it still does. Year after year after year.
Jeffrey Heine:A reminder of the need for atonement. A reminder that last year's blood sacrifice does not cover now. And yet here in verse 10, we are reminded, the sacrifice of Christ was sufficient. It was perfect, and it was final. Verses 1 through 14 continue to talk about this daily sacrifice that the priests make.
Jeffrey Heine:And then it talks about in in 12 through 13, the second advent that we await. As we see the close of this first advent season, where we await the coming of Christ as the Christ child, We also stand in this second advent, awaiting the second coming of Christ. Because not only, not only was Christ sufficient as a sacrifice in his flesh, but that flesh was resurrected and glorified. What animals could never do, he accomplished. This is our hope in this Christmas season, perfected for all time.
Jeffrey Heine:This is why we celebrate. Because the sacrifice accomplished forgiveness today. And this is why we celebrate today. So these debates of December 25th and and winter solstice and pagan rituals, These things fall aside because what we celebrate celebrate at Christmas is that God became flesh. The word of God became flesh, and it dwelt among us.
Jeffrey Heine:And not just to be near us, but to redeem us. This is our hope of salvation realized. Where on the cross, he represents that need for atonement, and that atonement accomplished. This is why we celebrate Immanuel this Christmas season. And this is why we come to adore him.
Jeffrey Heine:And why, without need of hesitation, we trust him and obey him. And we obey his commands and calls on our life. For those who are being sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. Emmanuel, once for all. And so in this time, I I invite you.
Jeffrey Heine:I invite you during this last week of advent to draw near to the manger, and to be drawn near to the manger. And not only look upon him to adore him, but to obey him. Because as he came as this sacrifice, he also came as king. King of the very kingdom of god. And, and, and when we, we spend this time together and as we spend these next few days with family and participating in these wonderful, good, encouraging traditions, except for Waffle House, At midnight, Christmas morning, you realize that was a mistake every year.
Jeffrey Heine:But we participate in these wonderful traditions, and and I and I hope that you hear that I I I'm not saying that that you should abandon these things and and go back to a Puritan, observing of the of the Christmas season. But, but in this time, in these traditions, that you would that you would see Christ for who he is, and this flesh as the necessity as it is. That this baby in this manger with tender, gentle, pudgy skin, That flesh was purposed and prepared for sacrifice. Will you pray with me? Almighty God, we are humbled at the very thought that you would send your son into this world.
Jeffrey Heine:And even more so that you would have a purpose in sending him in flesh. Father, cause us in this season of Christmas, To look upon our king as he truly is, as our resurrected sacrifice, The lamb who will take away our sin. Father, teach us in this time, in this advent season, to worship you and to obey you. Give us a sense of the second advent, awaiting the coming of our risen and glorified King. Come Lord Jesus.
Jeffrey Heine:Come Lord Jesus. Come Lord Jesus. Amen.
